Minimally displaced Colles' fractures: a prospective randomized trial of treatment with a wrist splint or a plaster cast.

Sixty-six adult patients with minimally displaced distal radial fractures were randomly assigned to treatment with either a plaster cast or a lightweight removable wrist splint. Outcome assessment was by clinical and radiological evaluation and an independent physiotherapy assessment. There were significant differences between the treatments for cast satisfaction, cast problems and the functional assessment score at 6 weeks, with the removable splint scoring better in all cases.